Summary
Maudlin's Cemetery is a Church of Ireland cemetery located in Naas, Ireland.[1] It is notable for its two large pyramid-shaped mausoleums, and as the burial place of much of the local anglo/norman aristocracy.
| Maudlin's Cemetery | |
|---|---|
Reilig na Maigdiléana | |
 Gateway arch | |
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1782 |
| Location | Dublin Road, Maudlings, Naas, County Kildare |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°13′38″N 6°38′48″W / 53.2272985684799°N 6.646799835381744°W |
| Type | garden cemetery |
| Owned by | Naas Union of Parishes (Church of Ireland) |
| Size | 0.532 ha (1.31 acres) |
| No. of graves | 200+ |
| Website | naasunion |
History edit
The name is archaically spelled Maudlings;[2] derives from Mary Magdalene, often depicted in art as mourning for Jesus after his crucifixion, and thus associated with burial grounds (cf. maudlin).[3] At the time of the dissolution of the monasteries (c. 1540), Great Connell Priory was noted as possessing seven acres near to "the Maudelein of Naas."[4] By 1606 the lands at Maudlings belonged to the chantry priests of St. David's Church, Naas.[5]
The cemetery dates to a 1780 donation by John Bourke, 1st Earl of Mayo.
The west pyramid was built in honour of Anne de Burgh, wife of Walter Hussey Burgh, while the east pyramid is unmarked but believed to belong to another member of the De Burgh family.[6][7]
The cemetery was expanded in 1889.[8]
The Journal of the Co. Kildare Archaeological Society recorded in 1895 that grave-robbing took place at Maudlin's, with the body of Moorehead, former governor of Naas Gaol, being one of the victims.[8]
The two pyramids were restored in 2020 with €65,000 from the Follies Trust.[9]
Notable burials edit
- Earls of Mayo
- Robert Bourke, 5th Earl of Mayo[10]
- the Earls of Clonmell
- the De Burghs of Oldtown
- Hubert de Burgh (1879–1960)
- Eric de Burgh, general
- the De Robecks of Gowran Grange.
- Alexander Taylor (1746–1828), cartographer[7][11]
Gallery edit
-
Grave of Lieut. C. F. Blacker, died of wounds received at the Battle of Mons, 1914 -
Gravestone of the De Robecks -
De Burgh plot
References edit
- ^ "Maudlins | Historic Graves". historicgraves.com.
- ^ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (15 January 1879). "Parliamentary Papers". H.M. Stationery Office – via Google Books.
- ^ "Local rector receives keys to Naas pyramids". Kildare Nationalist. 5 September 2021.
- ^ O'Hanlon, John (23 September 2020). The Life of St. David. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 9783752507669 – via Google Books.
- ^ Lee, Gerard A. (15 January 1996). Leper Hospitals in Medieval Ireland: With a Short Account of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem. Four Courts Press. ISBN 9781851822713 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Maudlins pyramids - Naas Co. Kildare". Creative Ireland Programme.
- ^ a b http://www.hidden-gems.eu/Naas%20maudlins%20cemetery.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b Society, County Kildare Archaeological (15 January 1895). "Journal of the Co. Kildare Archaeological Society and Surrounding Districts" – via Google Books.
- ^ Mather, Ciarán. "Look alive: Maudlin mausolea successfully spruced up by Kildare County Council and Naas Union of Parishes". www.kildarenow.com.
- ^ Bourke, Dermot (25 August 2017). A History of the Kildare Hunt. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 9781473349926 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Appeal for information about pyramid mausoleums in Co Kildare graveyard". IrishCentral.com. 17 January 2020.
External links edit
- Maudlin's Cemetery at historicgraves.com
- Maudlin's Cemetery: An introduction on YouTube